By this time I had learned nearly all of the fundamental principles
of fighting in the air and had more or less decided upon exactly what
tactics were best for me to use. I also realized the exact limit of my
ability in carrying these various tactics out, and in fighting acted
accordingly. I was more than ever firmly resolved now that, having got
so far in the game and past its most dangerous stages, I would take
no foolish risks, but continue to wait for the best opportunities. It
was very hard to restrain oneself at times, but from the middle of May
until I left France in August, I lost only one man out of my patrol
killed, and he was shot down on an expedition when I was not with him.
When flying alone, on a day off or something like that, I took
queer chances, it is true, but flying with the patrol often let
opportunities slip by because they were not quite good enough; but when
the right ones came, we were quick to seize them and were nearly always
successful.
I had learned that the most important thing in fighting was the
shooting, next the various tactics in coming into the fight, and last
of all flying ability itself. The shooting, as I have said before, I
practised constantly and became more and more expert at it, with the
result that finally I had great confidence in myself, and knew for a
certainty that if I only could get in a shot from one or two of my
favourite positions, I would be successful in downing my opponent.
To those who have never seen a war machine I would explain that to
control one, the pilot has to manipulate but a single lever which we
call the “joy-stick.” It is very much like the lever with which you
shift gears on an automobile, but it moves in four directions. If you
would want your machine to go down, the instinctive move would be to
lean the body forward. Therefore, the fighting aeroplane is so rigged
that when the pilot pushes the “joy-stick” forward, the nose of the
machine points down. In the same way, if he pulls the “joy-stick” back,
the nose goes up and the machine climbs at any angle he wants it to.
In turning, it is necessary to bank the machine, otherwise it will
skid outwards. It is also just as necessary that the machine is not
banked too much. This is one of the first things a pupil is taught when
learning to fly.
The “joy-stick” also controls the banking. By moving it to either side
you can tilt up whichever wing is desired. At his feet the pilot has a
rudder bar which controls the horizontal direction of the machine. If
he pushes his left foot forward and banks slightly, the machine turns
slowly to the left. To go to the right, there is only necessary a push
with the right foot and a slight bank. The pilot thus has both feet on
the rudder bar, holds the “joy-stick” with his right hand, and with
his left controls the engine of the machine by holding the throttle in
his hand. He is always able to do anything he wishes, either with the
engine or the machine itself. When firing the gun, he simply moves his
thumb slightly along the “joy-stick” and presses the lever which pulls
the trigger.
To be able to fight well, a pilot must be able to have absolute control
over his machine. He must know by the “feel” of it exactly how the
machine is, what position it is in, and how it is flying, so that
he may manœuvre rapidly, and at the same time watch his opponent or
opponents. He must be able to loop, turn his machine over on its back,
and do various other flying “stunts”--not that these are actually
necessary during a combat, but from the fact that he has done these
things several times he gets absolute confidence, and when the fight
comes along he is not worrying about how the machine will act. He can
devote all his time to fighting the other fellow, the flying part of
it coming instinctively. Thus the flying part, although perhaps the
hardest to train a man for, is the least important factor in aerial
fighting. A man’s flying ability may be perfect. He may be able to
control the machine and handle it like no one else on earth, but if he
goes into a fight and risks his life many times to get into the right
position for a good shot, and then upon arriving there cannot hit the
mark, he is useless. Unable to shoot his opponent down, he must risk
his life still more in order to get out and away from the enemy, and
that is why I put aerial gunnery down as the most important factor in
fighting in the air.
Tactics are next important because, by the proper use of the best
tactics, it is so easy to help eliminate risks and also so easy to
put the enemy at a great disadvantage. Surprise is always to be aimed
for. Naturally if one can surprise the enemy and get into a proper
position to shoot before he is aware of your presence, it simplifies
matters tremendously, and there should be no second part to the fight.
But it is a very hard thing to do, as every fighting man in the air is
constantly on the look-out for enemy machines. To surprise him requires
a tremendous amount of patience and many failures before one is ever
successful. A point to know is the fact that it is easier to surprise
a formation of four or six than it is to surprise one or two. This
is probably because the greater number feel more confident in their
ability to protect themselves, and also are probably counting upon each
other to do a certain amount of the looking out.
When flying alone or with just one other, it is always a case of
constantly turning around in your seat, turning your machine to right
or left, looking above and around or below you all the time. It is a
very tiring piece of work, so it is but natural that when you have
three or four other men behind you, you spend more time looking in the
direction where you hope the enemy machines are, if you want to attack
them, and to looking at any interesting sights which are on the ground.
In ordinary fight or duel we had tactics, of course, to suit the
occasion. The great thing is never to let the enemy’s machine get
behind you, or “on your tail.” Once he reaches there it is very hard to
get him off, as every turn and every move you make, he makes with you.
By the same token it is exactly the position into which you wish to
get, and once there you must constantly strive for a shot as well as
look out for attacks from other machines that may be near. It is well
if you are against odds never to stay long after one machine. If you
concentrate on him for more than a fraction of a second, some other
Hun has a chance to get a steady shot at you, without taking any risks
himself. To hit a machine when it is flying at right angles to you
across your nose is very hard. It requires a good deal of judgment in
knowing just how far ahead of him to aim. It is necessary to hit the
pilot himself and not the machine to be successful, and also necessary
to hit the pilot in the upper part of the body where it will be more
certain to put him completely out of action at once. When a machine
goes into flames it is largely a matter of luck, as it means that
several of your bullets have pierced the petrol tank and ignited the
vapour escaping from it.
In our tactics we used this cross shot, as it is called, considerably;
mainly when, after a combat has been broken off for some reason, guns
having jammed or the engine running badly, it becomes necessary to
escape. Upon turning to flee, your opponent is able to get a direct
shot at you from behind. This is decidedly dangerous; so, watching
carefully over your shoulder and judging the moment he will open fire,
you turn your machine quickly so as to fly at right angles to him. His
bullets will generally pass behind you during the manœuvre. The next
thing to do is to turn facing him and open with your cross fire.
In fighting in company with other machines of your own squadron one
must be very careful to avoid collisions, and it is also necessary to
watch all of them carefully as well as the enemy, because it is a code
of honour to help out any comrade who is in distress, and no matter how
serious the consequences may seem, there is only one thing to do--dash
straight in, and at least lend moral support to him. In one case I had
a Captain out of my own squadron, a New Zealander, come eight miles
across the lines after both his guns had choked, and he was entirely
useless as a fighting unit, just to try to bluff away seven of the
enemy who were attacking me. It was unnecessary in this case, as I had
the upper hand of the few machines that were really serious about the
fight; but it was a tremendously brave act on his part, as he ran great
risks of being killed, while absolutely helpless to defend himself in
any way.
All fights vary slightly in the tactics required, and it is necessary
to think quickly and act instantly. Where a large number of machines
are engaged, one great thing is always to be the upper man--that is,
to be slightly higher than your particular opponent. With this extra
height it is quite easy to dive upon him, and it makes manœuvring much
easier. If, as is often the case, you are the “under dog,” it is a very
difficult position, and requires great care to carry on the fight with
any chance of success. Every time your opponent attempts to dive at
you or attack you in any way, the best thing to do is to turn on him,
pull the nose of your machine up, and fire. Often while fighting it is
necessary to attack a machine head-on until you seem to be just about
to crash in mid-air. Neither machine wants to give way, and collisions
have been known to occur while doing this. We prided ourselves that we
hardly ever gave way, and the German was usually the first to swerve.
At the last moment one of you must dodge up and the other down, and
there is great risk of both of you doing the same thing, which of
course is fatal. It is perhaps one of the most thrilling moments in
fighting in the air when you are only 100 yards apart, and coming
together at colossal speed, spouting bullets at each other as fast as
you can.
Once you have passed you must turn instantly to keep your opponent from
getting a favourable position behind you, and then carry on the fight
in the usual series of turns and manœuvres. An extraordinary feature
of these fights which occupied any length of time, and entailed such
manœuvring, was the fact that they were generally undecisive, one
machine or the other finally deciding that for some reason or other it
must quit and make good its escape. In nearly all cases where machines
have been downed, it was during a fight which had been very short, and
the successful burst of fire had occurred within the space of a minute
after the beginning of actual hostilities.